Governor signs brewery bill into law

Governor signs brewery bill into law

RICHMOND, Va (WTVR) – Governor McDonnell has worked to grow Virginia’s wine industry while in office, and today he’s slated to sign into law a bill that will help the Commonwealth’s micro-breweries.

Senate Bill 604 gives breweries permission to serve their beer at the same facilities where its made. Right now, the breweries have had to include a full service restaurant in order to do that.

Without a full-service restaurant they can only sell to go orders, and offer samples.

Several local breweries lobbied for the change including both Legend Brewing and Hardywood Park Craft Brew both of which are Richmond-based.

In a post of their website, Hardywood founder Eric McKay says the change will not only help local breweries boost business, but create a tourism boon in the Commonwealth.

“The ability to sell beer for on-premise consumption has worked extremely well as a way to enhance beer culture in other states, like neighboring North Carolina,” McKay wrote. “As evidence, Ashville has been named “Beer City USA” three years straight, and has become a major tourist destination for an ever growing population of craft beer lovers”

Governor McDonnell will sign the bill today at the Hardywood Brewery at 1:30 p.m.